3500 crores spent in 27 crores scheme: 4 governments completed Kanhar project in 46 years, preparing to change the days of 100 villages of Sonbhadra

In 1976, the Congress government prepared the Kanhar Irrigation Project to provide water to every farm in Sonbhadra. CM ND Tiwari ordered land acquisition. In the next 6 years i.e. in 1982, the land was identified. People were also given compensation. But suddenly the plan stopped.

No news for 25 years. In 2009, the BSP government opened the file. When Akhilesh came, the budget was increased. CM Yogi gave it the final touch. Finally, in 46 years, the project of 27 crores was completed in about 3500 crores. 21 villages disappeared from the map.

Dainik Bhaskar’s team reached Kanhar to know about this project. Knowing the important things related to the project. Met the evicted people from there. He got the displacement package and understood the problems. Let us know all the things related to this project.

Target to make Sonbhadra drought free
Duddhi town was established by the British in Sonbhadra. The conditions here were such that after the rains one had to struggle for every drop of water. To solve the problems of the people, the government decided to build a dam at Amwar village, 12 km from Duddhi. Here Kanhar and its tributary river Pangan, hence the name of this project was named Kanhar Irrigation Project. On October 6, 1976, approval was given to make it.

The government wanted to complete it in the next 8 years i.e. by 1984. That’s why the budget of 27 crore 75 lakh was released. The survey of the land coming under the project has started. At that time people were given compensation at the rate of Rs 1800 per bigha.

However, the Irrigation Department did not take action to get the land in its name at that time. That’s why people stayed on their lands. On the basis of this, many farmers got Kisan Credit Card made. By 1984, the project got stalled. After this governments kept coming and going, but no one tried to start it again.

States were divided and the file got stuck
Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh on November 1, 2000. Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar on 15 November. Due to the new states, the hope of starting the project also came to a standstill. Because under this scheme, along with 11 villages of UP, 4 villages of Jharkhand and 6 villages of Chhattisgarh were also included in the submergence area.

Jharkhand gave permission in 2002. But permission was not received from Chhattisgarh. In 2007, Chhattisgarh government also approved after the efforts of former DGP Chandramani Prasad, who became MLA from Duddhi on BSP ticket. The project file was reopened in 2010.

The BSP government released a budget of Rs 850 crore for this scheme. The work started as soon as the money was received, but after some time the budget ran out and the work remained incomplete. SP government was formed in 2012. Shivpal Yadav, who became the irrigation minister at that time, himself reached Amwar Kanhar and held a meeting with the officials. At that time its budget was fixed at Rs 2252.59 crore. The SP government released this money and the work started again.

The agitation increased so much that firing took place on the police.
In December 2014, protests against the project intensified. Apart from Kanhar Bandh Virothi Sangharsh Samiti, Tribal Displaced Ekta Manch, All India Union of Forest Working People also came in protest against it. Roma Malik of this organization gathered in Amwar. Roma said that the project was scrapped in 1984 because the budget meant for it was spent on the Asian Games. Local journalist Jitendra Agrahari tells that the presence of Roma increased the movement and then it turned violent one day.

This is the photo of the movement of that time. Women were walking ahead with sticks.

On 14 April 2015 a big movement took place. Communist Party’s Kavita Krishnan also reached the spot. Chhattisgarh Congress leaders were also on their way to represent the affected villages in the state, but were turned back. A large number of outsiders reached Duddhi station to join the movement.

When the police stopped them from the road, they reached Amwar village through forests and rivers. Let the Kanhar river flow, let us live. The forest is our own, not anyone’s father’s. As slogans started. Suddenly the situation worsened and there was a clash with the police. The police used lathis. There was an attack from the agitating people as well.

Many senior police officers including the SP were injured. At that time DM Sanjay Kumar and SP Shivshankar Yadav took charge. Somehow, when the situation became normal, a case was registered against Ashrafi Yadav, Laxman Bhuiyan, Aklu along with 30 named and about 400 protesters. Even today the tribals demand that the case be withdrawn.

This project will change the days of 100 villages
When the BJP government was formed in 2017, it also took the scheme forward. Irrigation Minister Swatantra Dev Singh reached the spot several times. Saw everything and asked the officials to complete the work soon. The officers agreed every time. The strange thing is that every time for the last two years the work was claimed to be completed on June 30, but remained incomplete both the times. However, this time the work has been completed and it has been decided to fill the water. Minor tasks will continue to happen in the future.

The 39 meter high and 3.24 kilometer long dam is said to be a boon for Sonbhadra. This will benefit the farmers of 108 villages of Duddhi and Robersganj. There is a plan to deliver water through canals up to 100 kilometers away. 35 thousand 467 hectare area will be irrigated with this water. The farming that used to be done here was dependent only on rain water. The farmers of the places where water will reach see this scheme with hopeful eyes. They feel that this will end years of water crisis and the fields will be able to produce so much crop that can produce grains for the whole year.

Journalist Jeetendra says, “There are two sides to any scheme, the displaced here will not get any benefit, but hundreds of nearby villages will be directly benefited. The farmers whose crops were less, their crops will be more. Here the water level becomes very less, after the construction of this dam, that too will be maintained. Overall, this project of development will benefit a large number of people.

21 villages will disappear from the map due to the project

Due to the Kanhar irrigation project, 11 villages of Sonbhadra district of UP, 6 villages of Balrampur district of Chhattisgarh and 4 villages of Garhwa district of Jharkhand will disappear from the map. All these have been removed from the submergence area and shifted to another area. It was a challenging task for the administration to settle them in a new place. The victim’s families were not ready to move from there. He said, “The cost of this project went up from 27 crores to 3500 crores. But what came in the share of us tribals. The government had to compensate us under the 2013 land acquisition policy.”

The administration says on his words that if a project has been going on for 40 years and compensation has been given earlier, then it is not logical from anywhere that compensation for the same land should be given even after 40 years. We are giving compensation of three generations to the tribals in the form of displacement package. Plots are given. Other facilities will also be provided.

Water-electricity problem where settled
We reached the oustees via Kanhar project. There is construction going on all around. When people saw the mike in their hands, they came to tell their problems and stories. Gambhira Prasad, the former head of Kursi village and who led the movement, says, “There are flaws at many levels here. At that time we were told that we will settle you on the banks of the canal. Will give 5 bighas of agricultural land but both the demands were not accepted. Compensation was given for three generations, but even in that more than a thousand people were left out. Some were minors and some were told that they would get it after marriage. How this will happen is not mentioned in the mandate.

Gambhira says, we are not anti-development. Never opposed the project. We fight for the demands of our system. If we are opponents in the eyes of the government, it is a different matter, but we are not opponents. Referring to the incident in 2015, Gambhira says, “Many officials, including the SDM, were here at 9 pm that day. Seeing the crowd, they started running and fell after hitting a stone. The case was registered against the displaced.”

we were given a haunted house
We found Dharamjit Bharti in the displaced colony. He describes himself as a BJP worker. It is said, “We have been handed over a house of ghosts. The plot has been cut and given, but facilities have not been given. Everyone’s house is connected to each other. No street has been built anywhere. You can see the problem of water here. Just a few days ago, a pregnant woman had died of hunger here. She had nothing to eat. The government has given us Rs 7 lakh each and left us.”

We spoke to Sonbhadra SDM Shyam Pratap Singh regarding the problem of electricity and water in the colony. He said, “Yes, there is a problem of electricity and water, we are trying to fix it by continuously working on it. As far as compensation is concerned, almost people have been given compensation. Those who are left out will also be given ” When we asked him about the Kanhar project, he said, “This year the water will be stopped. But there will be little water. We will fill it with full strength in the next 4 years.”

Presently the Kanhar project is in its last phase. On the one hand big machines are making noise and on the other hand villagers like Sundari, Bhisur, Korchi, Sugvaman are trying to collect everything. The children returning from there are looking at their ruined homes. Women are returning on foot with a sad heart. Where the plots have been given for their stay, the construction is not complete. In such a situation, being able to organize everything in the coming times is no less than a challenge for them.

Finally see this temple. It is said that the work of the dam was completed only a year after the construction of this temple.

The construction of this temple has been done by the company making Kanhar Dam.

So far you have come to know about the Kanhar project. Let us now know some more special stories.

Harishankar Tiwari was born on August 5, 1935 in Tanda village of Barhalganj. The financial condition of the family was not good. Father wanted Harishankar to do something by studying, so he sent him to Gorakhpur University for studies. At that time JP movement was going on in the country. But it did not have any effect inside the university, rather the battle of Brahmin versus Thakur was going on. Balwant Singh was the leader of the Thakur students and Harishankar Tiwari the messiah of the Brahmin students.

There was frequent fighting between these two groups. In the meantime, Balwant Singh got a new boy in the form of Virendra Pratap Shahi. Belonged to his caste. He was courageous. That’s why Balwant put forward Virendra. Now Balwant is out of the fight. Harishankar and Virendra Pratap came face to face. Read the full story…

Year 1964. Dhaurhara village of Varanasi. A boy was born to farmer and local leader Ravindra Nath Singh. Named Arun Singh. Ravindra had a dream that his son grow up to become an IAS and bring laurels to the family. Arun was good at studies. He passed 12th with good marks and took admission in B.Sc. Along with this, he also started preparing for the IAS exam.

Arun was very attached to his father, so he was ready to unite the land and sky to fulfill his dream. But then a day came in Arun’s life which made him a mafia from a promising student. On 27 August 1984, 6 bullies of the village killed Arun’s father. Arun could not tolerate this incident and his head became filled with blood to avenge his father’s death. Read the full story…